A Christmas to Remember
by PenMasterEm
Summary: A one-shot of Tucker and Clara's first Christmas told in Tucker's point of view. Join our favorite characters on Christmas Eve filled with presents, snow, and good ole love.


Dad and I are closing up the stables and making sure the horses are warm and comfortable before tonight's Christmas Eve family dinner. Billy, Jeffery, and Clara will be there. Angela too with little Web as well as Dan, Wendy's boyfriend. From what I've heard from my sister, they're pretty serious. My eyes start to pound and I suddenly see Wendy in a wedding dress. _Wow, that was weird._ I guess they're going to be a lot more serious than I thought.

"Whatcha thinking about, Tuck?" Dad calls from one of the stalls. I shake my head to clear my eyes.

"Nothing, Dad," I say. I give Midas a final pat and leave. Dad comes out too and puts his hand on my shoulder.

"You nervous about the you-know-what?" He asks, his eyes crinkling with a little concern. I gulp. I have no idea how he knows about these things. First my crush on Clara and now her Christmas present.

"Maybe a little," I say as my ears turn pink. Dad chuckles.

"I'm sure she'll love it, son," he says, giving me a pat on the back. "Now, we should get going. Our guests will be coming soon and knowing your mother, there's still some finishing touches to complete in the house." We trudge back to the house through Jackson Hole snow and are immediately bombarded at the door by Mom.

"There you boys are! Hurry now, we've still got to set the table for dinner," Mom says while putting some whip cream on a pumpkin pie. Dad and I get to it and Wendy's adjusting the Christmas tree while I wait for everyone to get here. There's a knock on the door about thirty minutes later when everything is ready.

"I'll get it," Wendy calls from the living room. I head to the door as well to greet Clara.

"Dan!" Wendy shouts out and jumps into his arms and he picks her up laughing out loud. I try to hold in my gag.

"Hey, lovebirds, it's not getting any warmer out here." I smile. I know that sweet voice. Wendy pulls apart with her cheeks slightly pink and laughs.

"It's good to see you too, Clara," she says and gives her a hug as well. I stand next to them and take Clara's hands when they pull apart.

"Hey, Carrots," I say with a cheeky grin. She playfully groans.

"Again with the Carrots," she says and looks up to me. "When will it end?"

"Only in your dreams," I say before I pull her into a kiss.

"Eww, that's my sister you're kissing," Jeffery says. I laugh and Clara blushes.

"How's it going Jeffery?" I ask. He shrugs.

"Alright, I guess. But I need a hand with these presents. I swear Billy brought the who store over here," he says.

"I did not," Billy says. "Only half of it." Billy gives Wendy and I a warm hug before walking to the kitchen with Jeffery in tow, carrying a sack of presents. Angela arrives shortly after with Web in her arms. Clara goes up to them and hugs Angela and coos at Web. After more exchanges of "nice to meet you"s and "how have you been"s, we head to the kitchen.

Dinner was great full of laughs and Mom's food. Have I ever mentioned how amazing her cooking is? Dan was currently telling us a story on the most chaotic Christmas party he had apparently attended. Let's just say that it ended with the Christmas Tree catching on fire the family dog, Princess, ended up with a pair of underpants on her head. Clara and I hold hands under the table the entire time and exchange secret glances and smiles.

After dessert, we all head to the living room and play Dirty Santa while Web toddles around. I end up with a pink My Little Pony blanket. I'm blushing like crazy when I take a picture with it. Mom is obsessed with pictures and it didn't help that everyone was laughing. Jeffery was on the floor. Clara comes over from Web's side and gives me a kiss. That made things a little better I guess. After that, we all gave presents to little Web but he was too busy rolling around on the carpet.

I was feeling warm with anticipation and the box in my right pocket felt as if it was getting heavier and heavier as the second passed. _Here goes nothing._

I walk over to Clara who was holding Web and talking with Angela and Wendy. She sees me and smiles. I lean over to her and whisper, "Would you like to take a walk with me?"

She hands Web over to Angela and tells everyone we'll be stepping out for a while before following me to the front door. I help her with her coat and we step out into the cold. I grab her hand and we walk in the open field of snow, my free hand fingering the box in my pocket. Our hands are swinging and we just walk aimlessly, enjoying the other's company. We end up standing in front of the barn and the burglar light turns on when we get close enough. I stop and face her.

"Clara," I start, my voice slightly shaking. "I wanted to give you your Christmas present tonight which is why I pulled you away." I reach into my right pocket and pull out a red velvet box. Her eyes grow when she sees the box. I open it and she gasps when she sees what it is.

"Oh, Tucker," she says breathlessly. "It's beautiful." I take the silver charm bracelet out from the box and help fasten it for her.

"All the charms have a meaning to them," I say. "The pickup truck represents the first time I ever met you. The first girl who ever talked bad about my truck. The crown represents junior prom and the first time I realized that I loved you. The tree is the Jumping Tree and what I considered our first date. The sun is from the sunrise we watched together on the day of my birthday which was a truly beautiful moment. The horse represents the Lazy Dog Ranch, the place you always called home." I love at her beautiful blue-gray eyes and take a deep breathe.

"This charm bracelet is a promise, Clara," I tell her, still holding her hand. "I will never forget our moments together and I swear to you that we'll have more memories to share and add to this bracelet." Pull her into my arms and whisper into her hair.

"I love you, Clara. So much." She pulls back to look at me, but our arms stay around each other.

"I love you too, Tucker," she says almost breathlessly. "I have a present for you as well." She reaches into her coat pocket and pulls out a little book with the letters T and C intertwined together on the cover.

"It's a scrap book," she says. "To keep our memories safe. I added a few pictures that I got from everyone. We can add many more into this, but I wanted to give you a gift that would mean something to the both of us." I'm speechless as I take the scrap book and flip through the pictures. A picture of the two of us swimming in the Hoback River, senior prom, some pictures of us in a boat together. I didn't know our friends captured so many moments of us. My favorite is a picture of Clara and I riding on Midas together and my arms are circled around her and we're both laughing and in love. I meet her eyes once again and gulp back the emotion. I hug her tightly and she hugs me back.

"Thank you," I say quietly. And I kiss her. It's sweet but special and precious. I can feel her smile on my lips. When we pull away I find that it has started snowing and look up at the sky. We laugh and she holds up her hand as I watch the snowflakes gently fall onto her hair and eyelashes. I put my forehead against hers and our breathes mingle.

"Merry Christmas, Clara," I whisper.

"Merry Christmas, Tucker," she whispers back. And we're kissing again, lost in each other as the snow falls around us. Definitely the best Christmas memory I will ever have.


End file.
